Public meetings are being held across Scotland to discuss the future of the 667,000ha of national forests.
The consultation is part of a review of the size, nature and distribution of the forest estate, launched by forestry minister Allan Wilson last year. It is intended to help achieve the aims of the Scottish Executive‘s forestry strategy.
The public will be asked for its view on where forests should be located, how much public forest should exist, the benefits they should give and what role local communities can play in planning and management.
Forestry Commission Scotland has published a consultation document summarising the executive’s forestry policy. It provides key facts and figures about national forests and poses questions and issues which it wants responses to.
Forestry Commission Scotland director Dr Bob McIntosh said the nation’s forests were now “more than just wood farms”, and were Scotland’s biggest provider of outdoor recreation.
